A load of trash bags are dropped off at HQ Dumpsters and Recycling in Southington on April 14, 2022. Orange and green bags, which were part of a pilot municipal food waste recycling program in the town of Meriden at the time, get sorted out of the load and then transferred to an anaerobic digester and turned into electrical power and compost.

This Saturday, April 22nd, marks Earth Day. So we thought it was as good a time as ever to check in on what’s happening on the environmental beat in Connecticut. From bear hunts to trash, there have been a number of environmental proposals before lawmakers this session. This hour, we check in on where those stand.

Plus, there are efforts to legalize natural organic reduction, also known as “human composting," in Connecticut.

GUESTS:

• Mark Pazniokas: Capitol Bureau Chief, CT Mirror
• John Moritz: State Reporter, Hearst Connecticut Media Group
• Alison Cross: Reporter, Hartford Courant

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Former President Donald Trump dominated cable news last week when he appeared in a Manhattan court, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges.

On March 30th, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump in connection to hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.

Despite the 34 criminal charges, Trump is still very much in the running for president. This hour, we look at Trump's indictment and what it might mean for 2024.

GUESTS:

• Maya King: Politics Reporter, New York Times
• Liz Kurantowicz: Republican strategist and political analyst
• Asha Rangappa: Lawyer, former FBI agent, and senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs

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Over the past decade, Connecticut has been able to cut its prison population in nearly half. But advocates say there’s a lot more that can be done to improve the criminal justice system.

This legislative session, there have been a number of proposals aimed at doing just that — involving everything from deceptive police tactics to voting while incarcerated. This hour, we look at the state of criminal justice reform in Connecticut.

Plus, we get the latest on some upcoming mayoral elections across the state.

GUESTS:

•  Jaden Edison: Justice Reporter, The Connecticut Mirror
• project.com/">Mercy Quaye: Founder, The Narrative Project; Editor, CT Mirror's Community Editorial Board
• James Forman, Jr.: Professor, Yale Law School; Faculty Director, Yale Law and Racial Justice Center
• Jonathan Wharton: Associate Professor of Political Science and Urban Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University

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Following the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown, the phrase “stay woke” became a rallying cry among Black Lives Matter activists in Ferguson and beyond.

In the years since, the word “woke” has been weaponized by the right. Politicians like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are declaring a quote “war on woke,” going so far as to attempt to restrict what's being taught in schools. This hour, we’ll look at the anti-woke movement and what it means for the 2024 elections.

Plus, we break down what ranked choice voting could look like in Connecticut.

GUESTS:

• bilal.aspx">Dr. Bilal Sekou: Hillyer College Associate Professor of Politics and Government, University of Hartford
• Mordechai Gordon: Professor of Education, Quinnipiac University; Author, Education in a Cultural War Era: Thinking Philosophically about the Practice of Cancelling
• Eric McDaniel: Associate Professor of Government and Co-Director of the Politics of Race and Ethnicity Lab, University of Texas at Austin
• Alison Cross: Reporter, Hartford Courant

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Last year was the deadliest year on Connecticut’s roadways in recent memory. More than 230 people died in motor vehicle crashes, and another 75 people who were walking or biking died in crashes. That’s according to the state Department of Transportation.

In response, lawmakers are considering several bills this session with the goal of making our roads safer. This hour, we look at legislative efforts to make roads safer.

Plus, a look at maternity care deserts in the state — and how the Lamont administration is planning to address the issue.

GUESTS:

• Susan Raff: Chief Capitol Reporter, WFSB
• Ken Dixon: Government and Politics Reporter, Hearst CT Media
• Norman Garrick: Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut
• Alecia McGregor: Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Politics, Harvard Chan School of Public Health

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Connecticut Public's weekly politics show is returning with new host, Frankie Graziano. If politics are in your Wheelhouse, or you wish you could keep up, we got you. We'll drop a new episode every Wednesday with perspectives on local and national issues. 

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Today Joe Biden became the forty-sixth president of the United States.  Will America heed President  Biden’s calls to end an 'uncivil war' in political debate that spilled over into violence at the capitol two weeks ago?

A vice presidential swearing-in also makes history. 

Now that Donald Trump has left Washington and been kicked off Twitter, what has changed and what remains the same?  

And how will Connecticut’s political parties be impacted by the change at the White House?

Guests:

• Robert A. Sanders -- Chair of the National Security Department of the Henry C. Lee College at the University of New Haven
• Bilal Sekou -- Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Hartford (@BilalSekou)
• Daniela Altimari -- Hartford Courant Politics Reporter (@capitolwatch)

This show aired live at 8 pm on inauguration day.

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Starting January 13, Connecticut Public Radio's weekly Wednesday politics show becomes part of Where We Live. It will have a revamped format that includes interviews with news makers and analysis from some of the same top notch reporters and political observers who contributed to The Wheelhouse.  

To continue hearing our weekly politics program, go to the Where We Live web page, search your podcast app for Where We Live and subscribe, or download the Connecticut Public app!

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Two US Senate contests in Georgia will decide who controls the chamber.  Democrats are optimistic after a night of vote counting. How big of an impact will the outcome have on the direction of the country? 

Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are divided about whether to accept the electoral college vote today, or whether to continue President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the outcome of the presidential election.  Will there be long-term ramifications for democracy?  The Trump administration and its supporters have failed to deliver evidence to support their claims of widespread voter fraud. 

Here in Connecticut, the General Assembly session begins today.  But because of COVID-19, it will be anything but a normal opening day.

Guests:

Susan Bigelow -- Columnist for C-T News Junkie (@WhatEverSusan)

Mark Pazniokas -- Capitol Bureau Chief for the Connecticut Mirror (@CTMirrorPaz)

Colin McEnroe -- Host of The Colin McEnroe show, and a columnist at Hearst Connecticut. (@ColinMcEnroe)

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The Wheelhouse looks back at what was... Quite a year.

Also a glance at the president's pardons and a very early look at some possible candidates for governor.

Guests:

Kevin Rennie -- Hartford Courant Columnist and former state lawmaker (@DailyRuctions)

Bilal Sekou -- Associate Professor of Politics and Government at the University of Hartford (@bilalsekou)

Colin McEnroe -- Host of The Colin McEnroe show, and a columnist at Hearst Connecticut. (@ColinMcEnroe)

Join us on Twitter @wnprwheelhouse.

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